The Keck Biophysics Facility is a new center for biostructural research which came into existence in 1998 and which was created by Northwestern University's Center for Structural Biology with grants from the W.M.Keck Foundation and additional support from NIH, the Rice Foundation, and the Robert H.Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center. Since April 1st, 1999 it is one of Northwestern's Shared Resources Recharge Center, featuring 25 advanced research instruments with multiple accessories. The facility's comprehensive set of state-of-the-art instruments make it a unique resource for the study of the structures and interactions of biological and synthetic macro-molecules. Affordable user fees, individual training, and instruments that are well maintained, promptly repaired, and accessible on a 24 hour/7 day basis are services which attract an ever-increasing pool of users. For example, from July 1, 1999 to June 30, 2000 the facility welcomed 185 users from 59 Northwestern research groups. In particular, the center has quickly become a key facility for cancer research as members of research groups affiliated with the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center account for 85% of total instrument utilization. An important goal of the facility is to attract new users, enabling them to produce more, and better, science than otherwise would be possible.